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sm5w2
Premium Member
join:2004-10-13
St Thomas, ON

sm5w2

Premium Member

Bell price for pots line (PSTN) - $18 or $22 per month?

I must admit that I pay zero attention to my phone/internet bills since they are automatically billed to my credit card.

So I was just looking at them, because I'm going to cancel the Call-Answer service (the only service I have on one of my lines). It's currently $8.95.

I have 2 pots (PSTN) lines. Each has the non-optional 911 service (18 cents) and each has the non-optional touch-tone "option" ($2.80). However, one "Residence line" is billed at $22.22, and the other at $18.22. The one billed at $18.22 has my legacy HSE DSL service (which does not appear on that line's monthly bill) and the one billed at $22.22 has call answer. To the best of my knowledge, neither is connected to a plan of any sort (bundled, long-distance, etc) and none have any discounts applied (like paperless billing) and no discounts are listed on either bill.

I believe that I actually get a paper copy of the bill for one of the lines - possibly the one costing $18.22.

So, my first question is -> why is there a $4 difference in the charge for "Residence line" ? Does Bell apply a discount for the second line? If so, why no discount line-item on the bill?

My second question is -> is $22.22 or $18.22 the rock-bottom non-contract price available for this product from Bell?

My third question is -> I see that I can suspend the telephone service on these lines, while presumably leaving the Internet (DSL) service on that line intact and operating. Is this true? For how long can I suspend the telephone service, and is 100% of the basic "residential line" charge suspended for that duration?

HiVolt
Premium Member
join:2000-12-28
Toronto, ON

HiVolt

Premium Member

you dont need an active phone line for DSL. Bell does not charge for dryloop, so if you dont need the second voice line just have Bell convert it to dryloop, or just move your dsl to your main line.
grunze510
join:2009-02-14
Cote Saint-Luc, QC

grunze510 to sm5w2

Member

to sm5w2
Ah, the mindfuck of Bhell Home Phone costs. You're being billed $22.22 on one line and $18.22 on another line. My parents are being billed $23.02 for their Home Phone.

Nothing makes sense with Bhell.

DKS
Damn Kidney Stones

join:2001-03-22
Owen Sound, ON

DKS

said by grunze510:

Ah, the mindfuck of Bhell Home Phone costs. You're being billed $22.22 on one line and $18.22 on another line. My parents are being billed $23.02 for their Home Phone.

Nothing makes sense with Bhell.

It does if you understand rate structures. It has to do with your exchange and the number of exchanges you connect to which are local.
scorpido
Premium Member
join:2009-11-02
Abbotsford, BC

scorpido

Premium Member

I had 4 lines all activated in the same house by the same tech and were ordered the same day at the same time by the same cust rep. Not one had the same amount on the bill. They floated all around the 5-7 dollar difference between the bills. No someone explain them apples now would ya?? Umm bell billing.........in my next bill can you send me some of what your smoking... :P

HiVolt
Premium Member
join:2000-12-28
Toronto, ON

HiVolt to DKS

Premium Member

to DKS
said by DKS:

It does if you understand rate structures. It has to do with your exchange and the number of exchanges you connect to which are local.

Yeah, and that information hasnt been updated in 10 years, which the Dry Loop Band Rate charges are based on.

sbrook
Mod
join:2001-12-14
Ottawa

sbrook

Mod

And I'd lay odds that where you are is not deregulated ... this means that any basic line will have a tariff regulated price. $18.22 is the regulated price for a basic line where you are.

But the addition of call-answer as a deregulated service will make the entire service on that line deregulated. This wonderful jiggerypokery happened a few years ago in a notice that stated the addition of any deregulated service will result in the line being deregulated. SO ... Bell gets to charge a deregulated price of 22.22 on that line! This was a dirty trick that impacted some areas more than others.

DKS
Damn Kidney Stones

join:2001-03-22
Owen Sound, ON

DKS to HiVolt

to HiVolt
said by HiVolt:

said by DKS:

It does if you understand rate structures. It has to do with your exchange and the number of exchanges you connect to which are local.

Yeah, and that information hasnt been updated in 10 years, which the Dry Loop Band Rate charges are based on.

There aren't a lot of changes in regulated charges.
DKS

DKS to sbrook

to sbrook
said by sbrook:

And I'd lay odds that where you are is not deregulated ... this means that any basic line will have a tariff regulated price. $18.22 is the regulated price for a basic line where you are.

But the addition of call-answer as a deregulated service will make the entire service on that line deregulated. This wonderful jiggerypokery happened a few years ago in a notice that stated the addition of any deregulated service will result in the line being deregulated. SO ... Bell gets to charge a deregulated price of 22.22 on that line! This was a dirty trick that impacted some areas more than others.

BINGO!!!
DKS

DKS to scorpido

to scorpido
said by scorpido:

I had 4 lines all activated in the same house by the same tech and were ordered the same day at the same time by the same cust rep. Not one had the same amount on the bill. They floated all around the 5-7 dollar difference between the bills. No someone explain them apples now would ya?? Umm bell billing.........in my next bill can you send me some of what your smoking... :P

Only if you go read Bell's Tariffs. sbrook See Profile nailed it.

sm5w2
Premium Member
join:2004-10-13
St Thomas, ON

sm5w2

Premium Member

Hivolt wrote:

> you dont need an active phone line for DSL. Bell does not charge for
> dryloop, so if you dont need the second voice line just have Bell
> convert it to dryloop, or just move your dsl to your main line.

Back in the fall of 2002 when I looked into DSL, it wasn't available on my first line, but it was available on the second line (they have a different prefix, if that matters in this case).

I guess what I'd like to do is kill the first line, take it's phone number and give it to the second line, all without touching or changing my legacy Sympatico status on the second line, and all without triggering or activating any sort of 1-year contract term for any service involved in this change.

Is that possible? Based on everthing I read here, Bell will do it's best to tell me one thing, while intentionally doing another (ie - changing my plans or DSL status).

Sbrook wrote:

> But the addition of call-answer as a deregulated service will make
> the entire service on that line deregulated. SO ... Bell gets to
> charge a deregulated price of 22.22 on that line!

So at the very least, if I remove call-answer on that line, in theory the rate for "residential line" should drop from $22.22 to $18.22 ? Or will I have to fight for that?

sbrook
Mod
join:2001-12-14
Ottawa

sbrook

Mod

You'll probably have to fight for it to make sure it's a regulated service line. May involve cancelling the service and reordering with a new phone number!
Savillian
join:2003-11-22

Savillian

Member

Anybody have the link to this "deregulated service, cause's deregulated line"?

Would be interested in reading a bit further about this

sbrook
Mod
join:2001-12-14
Ottawa

sbrook

Mod

It came as an insert to a phone bill a couple years ago ... finding it in the Bell Canada tariffs is just about impossible.